What is Cliff Clavin's occupation?

Cliff Clavin’s occupation is mail carrier.

Cliff is Cheers’ famously overconfident postal worker, played by John Ratzenberger from the series premiere through its 1993 finale. He spends much of his free time at the Boston bar with his best friend, Norm Peterson, dispensing dubious trivia and unsolicited opinions.

The character’s job was nearly different. Ratzenberger originally auditioned for another small role, then suggested that the show add a know-it-all character. Cliff was first conceived as a security guard, but the producers changed him to a mailman shortly before filming the pilot because the occupation suited the character’s supposed store of knowledge.

Viewers sometimes confuse Cliff’s job with a generic office position because he is usually seen sitting at Cheers rather than delivering letters. His postal career remains central to several storylines, including his relationship with fellow postal worker Margaret O’Keefe and his eventual retirement plans. He also appears in the spin-off Frasier, where his mail-carrier identity is still part of his comic persona.